Playing for the Eastern Conference, we have LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, and Allen Iverson.

Wait—Iverson?!

No bad feelings towards Iverson, but has he really done anything to deserve an All-Star starting position?

Let's look at the statistics, shall we?

So far in 2009, Iverson has had 17.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.3 RPG. Not the best statistics in the world—not to mention, his points are down from a year ago.

So, how did this happen? First, you have to look at the voting process.

Blame the fans.

Fans vote for the big names and they vote multiple times. A bigger city with a great fan base will get their players more votes than a small city ever could. Even if that is not the case, the casual NBA fan will vote for big names like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Tracy McGrady.

But what about Rajon Rondo?

Not only has he stepped up his game from last year, but he also has full control over three of the biggest names in the NBA—Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. That is quite an accomplishment for a young player. Shouldn't he deserve to start over an aging Iverson?

What about Pierce? He was the NBA Finals MVP last year and is not a starter.

Fan voting does bring togetherness to the game. Getting the fans involved is important, but it has become evident that we cannot be trusted with a vote.

Coaches and players understand things like the importance of a shooter like Danny Granger of the Pacers. He is obviously the No. 1 player on the team. Coaches and players would be honest and vote David West of the Hornets into the starting rotation because he has constantly improved every year he has been in the league.